Tips From An Orthodontic Consultant #22

Orthodontic marketing consultant Jaclyn Whiddon is the president of The Whiddon Group. A practice consultancy firm that helps orthodontist offices with branding, ad campaigns, marketing collateral, development and much more. She started her career in orthodontics nearly 15 years ago, working in different practices in various roles.

Learning Objectives:

Branding. What is a brand and why is it important to an orthodontic practice? She covers initial branding/rebranding, how it goes beyond just a logo, my main answer will be that your brand is what people think and feel when they think of your brand. It’s more than just the product (braces) but the service that sets you apart.

How should an office prepare a marketing plan and budget?

Jaclyn says 3% of gross revenues is average. She also mentions how some offices spend $8000 while others spend $80,000. It’s important to strategically break your marketing budget into targeted areas and allow for spending throughout the year (quarterly planning).

What do you see as the main goal of marketing? The job of your marketing efforts is to make the consumer take action (call, schedule, etc.).

Common misconceptions about the success of marketing? Here Jaclyn talks about offices saying that marketing fails when production doesn’t increase. She’ll discuss how internal sales are important and how the staff needs to be prepared to handle a new patient.

Why is messaging important in your marketing. Additionally it is important to exceed their expectations. Don’t over promise and under deliver. So often she see’s scripted messages used on marketing materials, websites, on hold messaging, etc… If you promise a friendly staff, on time appointments and state of the art office, you must deliver. Disappointment happens when expectations aren’t met. Don’t set expectations for a new patient that you know you can’t deliver!

Once you have established your brand, marketing plan and budget, what is the biggest mistake that offices should avoid? She discusses the importance of repetitive marketing efforts. Not stopping after 1-2 marketing attempts.